Voluntary vaccination against COVID-19 will begin in Kazakhstan this year. The first two million doses of Russian vaccine are planned to be imported into the country in the form of a substance, after which the coronavirus vaccine will be produced at Karaganda pharmaceutical plant, Kazakh Health Minister Alexey Tsoy announced. He said that people at high risk of contracting the infection are the first to be vaccinated, including doctors, teachers and law enforcement officers. According to preliminary forecasts, the domestic vaccine will not be ready until March. Overall, the country plans to vaccinate almost 55 percent of its population or about 10 million people. Experts say that drugs from the U.S. and German manufacturers will be supplied to Kazakhstan only in the second half of this year. Majority of Kazakh residents are ready for vaccination, but only if there are no side effects.
People shared their opinion:
“It takes three years to produce one vaccine. One can’t immediately determine whether it is harmless or not. So for now I am against vaccination. It’s hard to tell if it is fully harmless or not if it was produced so quickly, in just a year. But if it is proven harmless to humans, I would get immunized”.
“A lot of people died of COVID-19 in 2020. I think that’s why vaccination is necessary. Now, of course, there are many, who oppose it. But health matters most. I support it”.
“I am not against vaccination. But does this vaccine have a negative impact on human health? I want experts to study it fully and prove that it is harmless and only then vaccinate the population. I’d give it a shot”.
